Decorative laminates are employed in making floor surfaces, table tops, desk tops, sink tops, wall panels, and the like. These decorative laminates are usually made for flat surfaces, but can also be made postformable, as described by Palazzolo et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,433, so that, for example, sink counters with integral curved splashboards and rounded edges can be made. These decorative laminates vary in texture from deeply embossed, such as a rough slate surface, to extremely smooth, such as highly polished wood or marble surfaces. These laminates also vary in finish, from low glare, as in an embossed slate surface, having a NEMA (National Electronic Manufacturers Association) surface finish gloss rating of from about 5 to 10, to mirror finish, as in a highly polished wood or marble surface and some solid color surfaces, having a NEMA surface finish gloss rating of from about 90 to 100.
Mirror finish laminates have always been costly, and have always presented unique problems in handling and manufacture. They can be scratched easily during handling and present, among other problems, the problem of low gloss spots on a certain number of laminates, up to about 15% of each laminate assembly, during manufacture. These low gloss spots, usually called solvent areas, vary in size and shape. At times they affect areas as large as 2 foot diameter circles on 5 foot.times.12 foot laminates, and have plagued the industry since its inception. Such spots do not present any problems for satin, low gloss, or embossed finishes, i.e. those having a NEMA surface finish gloss rating of below about 20. If a mirror finish laminate is made having such low gloss spots, it must be scrapped, since even if it is pumice-brushed to a buff gloss finish, having a NEMA surface finish gloss rating of between about 60 to 90, the spots will still be noticeable to the customer and considered an imperfection. Mirror finished products were not in vogue for a long period of time, but in the past several years, designers and architects have been specifying an increasing amount for use in homes and commercial buildings. What has long been needed in the industry is a means to completely eliminate such solvent areas on mirror finish laminates.